Top Ways to Keep Your Body in the Best Shape

If you're interested in leading a healthy lifestyle, you have to go beyond simply getting enough sleep and eating a highly nutritious diet that is low in unhealthy fats and calories. Instead, you have to focus on really taking care of your body from the inside out.

Check out the helpful tips below to learn some of the top ways to keep your entire body in the best shape possible.

Keep Working Your Muscles as You Age

Aging naturally causes a decrease in muscular mass and strength, along with less balance and less flexibility. While you can achieve maximum muscle growth in your 20s and 30s, it is important to keep working out even when you are older.

After the age of 50, you lose strength at a rate of 2-5% every decade if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. The only way to combat this loss of strength is to keep using your body's muscles by lifting weights and performing stretches that maintain flexibility. And it is also imperative that you continue working on maintaining your balance.

As you get older, continue enjoying physical activities like tennis, dance, volleyball, and resistance training. Balance and flexibility can be maintained with yoga as well.

Don't Forget About Cardiovascular Health

To maintain your cardiovascular health and your stamina, you should walk or run every day. These activities will also help you maintain an ideal weight and help you reduce and manage stress, which can also lead to aging. Walking a minimum of just 30 minutes a day can provide you with great results as you enjoy the scenery and breathe in some fresh air.

Regularly Take Some Much-Needed Downtime to Recover

Downtime is definitely important when it comes to keeping your body in the best shape, especially if you always work hard at staying fit by building muscle and maintaining a healthy weight. In addition to activities like meditation and resting to let your body heal and recover from your workouts, you can also book massage therapy sessions to keep your body loose and relaxed and to remove any excess tension and stress. Just be sure to book your therapies at a reputable facility that uses high-end products from companies like therapyessentials.co.uk to ensure the safest and best results.

Exercise for Your Brain, Too

Remember that physical activity isn't just good for your body; it is also good for your mind. Again, activities like meditation and yoga can have profound effects upon the health of your brain and your ability to concentrate. And when your mind is healthy and balanced, you will find that it's easier to stick with your physical fitness routine and you'll be able to maintain health more easily.

As you age, you have to take more steps to keep your body in the best shape possible. Take care not to overdo it, though, as you could make yourself prone to injuries that will ultimately set you back from your fitness goals. Combine strength, flexibility, and balance routines to remain looking and feeling great.

Five Ways Athletes Can Benefit From Massage Therapy

Even if you're a tough athlete, you can benefit greatly from massage therapy from a professional therapist and facility that utilises trusted equipment from therapyworlddirect.com. So if you've never considered getting a massage because you think massages are really only meant for women who want to pamper themselves, think again.

Check out the five ways that athletes can benefit from massage therapy, listed below.

Improvements to the Cardiovascular System

Massage therapy actually has a positive effect upon the cardiovascular system, so it goes beyond simply helping to relieve tension from muscles. By helping to dilate the blood vessels, it assists them in pushing blood through the body more efficiently. Ultimately, massage can help deliver the vital oxygen and nutrients an athlete's muscles and organs need to stay in tip-top shape. And this translates to better performance.

Increase in Flexibility

In addition to maintaining strength and stamina, a great athlete should also maintain a high level of flexibility. Being flexible means you'll be able to move your body more easily and efficiently, and this can translate to even more power during every type of athletic performance. Massage therapy works by stretching muscle fibres, thereby promoting and maintaining flexibility while reducing stiffness throughout the body.

Alleviate Muscle Aches and Pains

Being an athlete means that you have to expose your body to some rough treatment. From working hard at the gym to build and maintain muscle, to getting out there and competing or performing, there are many ways that athletes actually end up promoting wear and tear throughout the body. But a good massage session can help ease the aches and pains that result from pushing your body to the limit. And by reducing and removing pain and aches, an athlete can perform better.

Improvements in Sleep Patterns

Getting adequate amounts of sleep can be tough for athletes who are always thinking about—and working towards—achieving an optimal level of strength, stamina, and skills in whatever sport they choose. But getting regular massages can actually help improve sleep patterns, promoting better and deeper sleep that results in a body that's able to heal itself and perform better during the day. So if you're an athlete who finds it difficult to get the quality and quantity of sleep that you need, or if you always feel fatigued during the day and it is affecting your performance, book a massage session to see the difference.

Promotion of Relaxation

Because athletes work so hard, it can be really hard for them to stop the mind from racing. And this can make it really difficult not only to sleep, but also to simply relax even during their waking hours. A massage session can promote natural relaxation throughout the body. It can help an athlete quiet the mind and let the body heal.

With so many great reasons to get a massage if you're an athlete, consider booking a session with a professional therapist if you have never done so. You may be surprised by how much your performance improves.

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